Drying and conditioning machine.



'PATENTE-D JAN. so, 1906.

' J. H. LORIMER.

DRYING AND GONDITIONING MACHINE.

APPLIOAT-ION FILED MAY 20, 1905.

.WWW/NM Sw@ v45 Y drying-chamber and the air, steam, or gases in theconditioning-chamber driven Athrough hli'ilihi "Ilhbi TNT FIFQ.

.ioHN n. nonnina, or PHILADELPHIA', Pinn'sravinviavf f Devine. AND Conni-ricain@ Wixxer-impe.

ne. ai 1,307.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, lQfi.

Application filed May Z0, 1905. Serial No. 261,365.

ments, which are fully set forthin the ollow-l ing s 'ecificationand shown in the accom anyrawings, which form a part` thereo n'drying-machines of the class to which 'T of the drying me this ,Y improvement relates I'have heretofore employed two endless aprons of meshed or o en material operating in airs and holding t e wool or other materia vbetween them while being conveyed through the drymgchamber and the vertical currents of 4air put into circulation through the aprons. In such machines the 'aprons .passed horizontally through. the chamber, and While the lower' apron supported the textile material the upper apron pressed heavily upon it. In the reverse transit through the chamber the upper apron takes thel lower position and supports the textile material with the other apron pressing down upon it. While the two aprons are necessary because of this reversal and also for con-` veying the textile material to different levels and around the guide-wheels, the pressure of the upper apron-section upon the material when traveling horizontally is very objectionable on some materials, as it tends to compress the material and revent proper permeation dlium, be 1t air or gas. The object of my present im rovement is to provide a drying-machine o= this characcirculate, as required or desired,'in a vertical.

ter with both drying and conditioning chambers, each of which are provided with means ,for separating -the aprons where they pass horizontally, or substantiall while conning the materia between the aprons it is permitted to be in proper condition to be readily permeated by the air in the them under the action of the blowers. The extent of separation of the aprons will vary withthe materials being treated, and I am enabled to have any separation desired to ,suit the conditions best adapted for the materials being dried.

My invention consists of acase having two chambers through-Which air, steam, or gases so, whereby4 direction, combined with apron-guide wheels, twoendless aprons of o eli-work which are caused to 4pass successive y through both the drying vand conditioning chambers, 'and guides in each of thechambers for guiding the said a rons-at a distance a'part their trave horizontally,v between .the guidewheels, but 'permit of their-lying -close together in passing about the saidguide-wheels when being raised or lowered from one'level to another. j y

My invention also comprehends details of construction which, together with the features above' s eciiied, will be better understood by reference to the..drawings', iny

which- Figure 1 is-.a longitudinal'section-al elevay tion of a drying and conditioning-machine embodying my invention. Fig.' 2 is a crosssection of same on line 2,2 and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion ,of Fig. 2, showing the inde endent guides for the two aprons.

A is tf1) tioning-chamber, and are each preferabl furnished with a side chamber H, in whic may be placed heatin -coils N and the fans I. The fans draw air ownward through the chambers A andP and force it upward overthe heating-coils, fromcwhich it passes by passage J into the top of the chambers A'and P agam., Doors T may be used to allow escape of damp 'air andentranee of fresh air. An injector or nozzle lR may be used to admit steam ory gases to the conditioning side chamber H.

Band C are two endless aprons which are caused tov travel close together for a portion of the circuit and then separate at `the feeding and delivery ends. These aprons are made of o en-work and guided about the guide-whee s E of the dr ing-chamber A and the Wheels E of the con( itioning-chalnber P. The apron B isalso guided` about the'large Wheels D at the feeding end and the Wheel G at the delivery end, said wheels D and G being outside ofthe chambers. The apron C is further guided away from the apron B by wheels F, arranged outside of the chambers. The aprons travel, asindicated by the arrows, and the wheelsmay be driven in any fsuitable 'manner ,to impart' motion to the aprons. i l The Vmaterial is ractically dried during its passage through tlie drying-chamber A, and whenit enters the chamber P it is in a state' suitable to the conditioning treatment,which e drying-chamber, and P the condiv So IOO IIO

fan and'heater of the conditioning side cham-` ber I-I and need-not be further illustrated.

The two chambers A and P have each their own side chambers H, so that the circulating medium of one chamber does not pass through the other chamber. The nozzle or injector R of the conditioning. side chamber Hmay be omitted from the side chamber of the drying-chamber A.

While I speak of guide-wheels for the a rons, I Wish it to be understood that I use t at term in a generic sense as including any form of a guide about which the aprons are guided so as to pass from one level to another. rWhere theraprons pass about wheels E E', they are required to lie closetogether to prevent the textile material'shifting.

In the horizontal travel of the aprons between the wheels E E E E the aprons B and 4C are caused lto separate to the' requisite distance to remove all excessive pressure from the material being dried. To accomplish this, I provide guides of angle-iron LM, -upon which the sprocket-chains I( of the aprons B C are caused to run and by which they are supported, as shown in Fig. 3. The

. guides L M maybe made in any suitable manner solong as they support the aprons at different elevations. These aprons are ordinarily formed of two endless sprocket-chains connected by open-worlrwebbing of metal or'cross-slats, so as to permit free passage of air. The sprocket.- chains travel on the guides in such a manner as to preventlpas-l sage of air around the aprons. Asa further precaution toprevent the air passing upward through the aprons C and B- and adjacent to the guides L transversely-arranged boards Q may bearranged closely to the under sides of the guide L, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 3, Ato actas shields and direct the air away from the chains and guidesand from the latveral edges of the aprons which would natuing with the'chainsK of the aprons.

rally contain less ofthe material to be dried. These' shield-boards may be or may not be used, as desired. I dol not confine myself to any particular.construction of apron. The aprons may be driven by the wheels E and G being formed as sprocket-wheels and 'mesh- Byhaving the aprons separated in vthe horizontal travel it is evident that the material is al-v lowedv to spread-,and expand-and assume a most excellent condition to be acted upon by the downdrafts of air, steam, or gases. While perfectly free during the horizontal travel, the material is held tightly between the aprons when passing about the rollers E or E, or, in other words, when passing from one level to another, whether up vor down.- This prevents displacement or congestion of the materials between the aprons.

It will be understood that while the apron B supports the material during'the first and third horizontal passage through the chambers A and P the apron C supports it during the second horizontal passage through the chamders of the machine, so that the two aprons B and C alternately shift their operative portions from above to below'the material, and vice versa, and at the same time reverse the material.. In-case of cotton or loose fiber it is evident that the separation of the aprons would be most beneficial,- as it would permit the cotton to open or expand and quickly dried and be delivered from the machine in a fluffy and desirable condition.

IVhile I prefer the construction shown, do not confine myself to the details, as they may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and -desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for drying and conditioning materials, the combination of a dryingchamber and a conditioning 'chamber arranged end to end, guide-wheelsfor guiding two endless aprons back and forth througheach vof said chambers, twoendless aprons for holding the materials to be treated between them-v and guided about the guide-wheels, and means within the ch ambers for separating the two aprons slightly to remove pressurev IOO from the materials while passing between the guide-wheels. Y

' 2. In a machine for drying and conditioning materials, the combination vof a dryingchamber and a -conditioningchamber arranged end toend, guide-wheels for guiding IIO two' endless aprons back and forth through i each of said chambers, twoendlessaprons for holding the materials to be treated betweenA them and guided about the guide-wheels, and

means consisting of horizontal guides L M- within the chamber for separating the two aprons slightly to remove pressure fromv the materials while passing between the guide- W'heels. y y

3. In a machine for drying and conditioning materials, the combination of a dryingchamber and aV conditioning-chamber arranged end to end, guide-wheels for guidingl two endless aprons back and :forth through each of said chambers, two endless aprons o fv open-work with sprocket-chains on their edges for holding the `materials tobe treated between Vthem and guided aboutithe guide- Wheels, and means consisting of'k ideswithe in the chambers for supporting t e sprocketchains and therbvlseparating the two aprons slightly to removetpressure from the materials While passing between the guide-Wheels.

4. In a machine for drying and conditioningmaterials, the combination of a drying? chamber and a conditioningchamber ar-A ranged end to end, guide-Wheels `for ding 4two endless aprons back and forth trough each ofsaid chambers, two endless aprons for holding 'the materials to bel treated between them and l`,(.'uided about the 'guide-Wheels,

ymeans Witlnrrthe chambers for separating i the tWo aprons slightly to remove 'pressure from the materials While passing between the duide -Wheel s, and means for circulating ing and conditioning media separately through the'resp'ective and condition# ing chambers.

` 5. In a machine for drying-.and conditioning textile materials, the drying and conditioning chambers arranged end to end, guide- Wheels for saidchambers, two endless aprons guided by the guide- Wheels so as to pass alternately back and forth in each chamber andthrough the two chambers successively,

and separate means for each chamber for respectlvely circulating Jthe drying and conditioning mediums.

In testimony' of which invention I hereunto 

